Serenity Trail

The Serenity Trail is a meditation path through the woods adjoining Unity Center of Peace. Connecting the Spiral Labyrinth and the Medicine Wheel, its purpose is to guide people into greater connection with their inner selves, the natural world, and the universal spirit that exists everywhere. Stations are positioned along the trail where you can stop, read instructions for a meditative activity, and then do the activity and notice how this increases your sense of serenity, peacefulness, and other positive feelings.  As you walk along the Trail you will also see statues of some of our Master Teachers.

Scroll Down to see some Highlights and Delights you will find on the Serenity Trail. 

Green Tara is a revered goddess in both Hinduism and Buddhism, representing compassion and enlightened activity. In Hinduism, she is one of the ten Mahavidyas and is linked to the fierce goddess Kali. In Buddhism, particularly Tibetan Buddhism, she is a Bodhisattva who aids others on the path to enlightenment and is known as the "Buddha of Enlightened Activity."

Mantra:
Om Tare Tutare Ture Soha
(“O Tara, I invoke your help, O Tara, promptly. Hail.”)
Repeated traditionally 28, 108, 1080 times... or any number intuitively right to you...or without
counting.
OM has been called “an eternal song of the divine” that “is continuously resounding in silence on the
background of everything that exists.” (Amit Ray, Om Chanting and Meditation).
TARE means salvation from mundane dangers and suffering.
TUTTARE represents deliverance into the spiritual path.
TURE represents fast deliverance.
SOHA means “hail” and also “within me” (Tara is within each of us).
(https://gayatriclab.com/2011/10/the-power-of-tara-mantra)

Meditation:
I am the full awakened Buddha, always in female form, beyond forms
I am Tara Bosatsu, bodhisattva of infinite compassion
I am Drolma, She Who Saves
I am Jaanachandra, Moon of Perfected Wisdom
I am the Star Goddess, who guides you with my Light across the ocean of existence
I am Arya Tara, the personification of Mother Earth, who gives you all you need
I am Khadiravani, dweller in the forest, healing goddess of Nature and all life
I am Dakini, my dance continually awakening you to enlightenment
I am Leader of the Caravans, showing the way to those who are lost
I am Jetsun Dolma, Venerable Mother of Mercy
I am the jewel in the heart of compassion
I am the fierce protectress of all life
-Katja Sage

Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and teacher in South Asia who founded Buddhism in the 6th or 5th century BCE. He taught the Middle Way, a path between indulgence and extreme asceticism, as a route to liberation from suffering and rebirth. His key teachings are captured in the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, which emphasize ethical conduct, mental discipline, and meditation.

buddha_and_buddhism_a_suggested_reading_list_by_david_glass.docx

Mantra:
Aum Mani Padme Hum  (“The Jewel Is in the Lotus”)
Repeated traditionally 108 or multiples thereof; any number of personal meaning, or without counting, is also good. “...In...the practice of a path ...of an indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech, and mind into the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha. The substances for the achievement of Buddhahood are within.” (His Holiness the Dalai Lama)

Meditation:
How to Practice Breath Meditation (lionsroar.com)
Breath meditation is likely the most popular and straightforward meditation practice. It is also the basis of many other forms of meditation. Try these essential instructions. Find a quiet and uplifted place where you can do your meditation practice. When starting out, see if you can allow 5 minutes for the practice.
1. Take your seat. Sit cross-legged on a meditation cushion or on a straight-backed chair with your feet flat on the floor, without leaning against the back of the chair.

2. Find your sitting posture. Place your hands palms-down on your thighs and sit in an upright posture with a straight back—relaxed yet dignified. With your eyes open, let your gaze rest comfortably as you look slightly downward about six feet in front of you.

3. Notice and follow your breath. Place your attention lightly on your out-breath, while remaining aware of your environment. Be with each breath as the air goes out through your mouth and nostrils and dissolves into the space around you. At the end of each out-breath, simply rest until the next in-breath naturally begins. For a more focused meditation, you can follow both the out-breaths and in-breaths.

4. Note the thoughts and feelings that arise. Whenever you notice that a thought, feeling, or perception has taken your attention away from the breath, just say to yourself, “thinking,” and return to following the breath. No need to judge yourself when this happens; just gently note it and attend to your breath and posture.

5. End your session. After the allotted time, you can consider your meditation practice period over. But there’s no need to give up any sense of calm, mindfulness, or openness you’ve experienced. See if you can consciously allow these to remain present through the rest of your day.